Too hot to cook

I am not one who does well in heat. The past 10 days it has been 27C plus here. Not blistering by any standard, but it overwhelms me, gives me a headache, lethargic. all that fun stuff.

I may be home for the summer but DH is not. When he gets home, naturally he is hungry but neither of us want to cook anything in the house and heat up my poor lil non AC house.

It's just the two of us most of the time. We certainly don't need big meals and we aren't really punching a 'have to eat at ____ clock' schedule. Sometimes we just pick and graze.

We have been using the BBQ a fair bit - burgers, chops, the occasional steak or kabob.

I pulled out my beloved crockpot and enlisted it to help us through this heat.

Our garage is attached and is basically an extended storage facility. I have our two small freezers in there and they make a perfect makeshift counter top.

The crockpot has saved us a few times this summer. Crockpot lasagna. Crockpot shredded salsa chicken for tortillas. Yesterday I put a roast in there and made a Beef Dip (French Dip)

You definitely can feel the heat it adds when I got out into the garage so I am glad it is not in the house. You get the benefit of the delicious food, the great smells without the heat.

Pair this with fresh fruit or a salad and we are good to go.

snowflakey January

For all the different good and bad that January brought, the snowflakes were the best.

January always brings that sense of renewed focus....of paying attention to the little things...of that drive to meet goals and make the best of the new year.

This January paid off in spades.

Grocery savings was my biggest friend. We  had stocked heavily for the boys return home... Freezer, pantry and fridge. Added to that was the wealth of leftovers that we got from both my mom and my sister after the Christmas meals. Mostly my sister. She continued to send over all the bits and pieces from her Christmas grocery purchases.

We had wonderful leftovers of turkey and ham that turned into soups and stews, quesadillas and 'ham'n'eggers. The wealth of fruit was devoured and then froze for smoothies. Veggies made their way as side dishes and salads and into omelets and more.

I was able to snowflake $300 of my grocery money during the month of January. I have it sitting right now in 3 pretty $100 bills, unsure right now of where to focus my effort. I won't spend them in that form, but if I had left them in my main account, or if I had gotten them in $20s they would have been siphoned away bit by bit.

Cooking for 2 really can get creative sometimes and we consciously work to repurpose leftovers in a way we aren't getting bored.

I hope the inertia of January pushes forward, for awhile.

I had forgotten...

how much he eats.

Feeding that athlete engine is not cheap. And he eats often.

 He is missing home cooked meals so I have been trying to fill that hole :-)   We definitely go through far more staples with four in the house than we do with three. Ok technically it's four and  a half. The girlfriend is here for the weekend. He will be spending time there too in the weekends to come so her mom can feed him. She has five kids so she knows lol

In the meantime, I need to look at flyers and figure out what is on sale this week. The grocery  budget is taking a kicking.

Nevertheless,

It's good to have him home.

A quiet weekend

Perhaps it is an indicator of how things will be in the fall when the nest is empty. Perhaps it's just the feel of one of those weekends.

It has indeed been a quiet weekend.

Thursday I felt great. I made a road trip (one hour each way) to DS1's girlfriends' house. It is their one year anniversary this weekend and I went to deliver the "It's been a year but we are both broke and in college' gift, and visit with her family. Great people. I was VERY nervous about driving that far with no place to stop for bathroom emergencies. I stopped eating and drinking about 3 hours before I left and did not have anything while I was there.  I made it there and was fine. I made it home. Just.

It was great to visit with them and I felt semi normal for the first time in a long time.

Friday I felt awful. Just exhausted and in pain and a headache from the steroids. It started to clear up before supper.

DS2 headed up to his beloved Scout camp so it was just DH and I home.  Supper was....hmmm what is in the fridge to eat. Zero cost, but boring.  I know we will have to make plans of how to cook for two again this fall so it isn't a lot of days of 'why bother'.

DH wasn't feeling well so he went to bed by 7. Just me and the cats. Very quiet and very odd. I lit a couple of candles and made some tea and settled in to watch some playoff hockey. I watched the Chicago game (to feel close to DS1). They lost so he probably wasn't thrilled.

Today DH and I ventured out to Walmart. A big outing for me to see if I was able to. Success. I spent $140 on groceries (milk, juice, bananas, peanut butter, bread, coffee, cereal, cheese etc) and household items (cat food, litter, TP, Motrin etc). Probably 50% for each category

Supper tonight is beef stew from the freezer, some of my mom's homemade buns, and some cheese. I feel like having wine. It's been awhile. We shall see :-)

I am wondering if any Canadian readers out there can recommend a place to buy kitchen valances online. I am getting rid of the past their expiry date blinds in my tiny north facing kitchen and decided to go fabric this time. I don't want to spend a ton.  I checked out walmart and sears. I found the following ones below at bed bath and beyond online.

I only want a top valance and not the side panels

Any other suggestions??????

Menu planning Monday

I had a hard time getting my thoughts to focus on menu planning for the week, to be honest. I know I will be glad I did. I always do. The menus do not always stay locked in stone. Sometimes our schedules change. Sometimes there is just a boatload of leftovers so we do that instead. Sometimes we get to a certain day and really just don't want that particular food. Despite that, it's still great to have a starting place to build and adapt from.

There were a few bulk meat items on sale this week so I got some of that. There just isn't freezer space in the wee freezers for too much right now to stock up.

Sunday - Roast chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, mom's homemade buns and corn

Monday - Chicken quesadillas using leftover chicken meat. Tossed salad

Tuesday - Meatloaf cupcakes and homemade mac and cheese

Wednesdsay - home made chicken noodle soup from the carcas of mr roast chicken. (Isn't carcass such an appetizing word? heh)

Thursday - leftovers methinks

Friday - pork cutlets and roast potato wedges with a salad

Menu Monday

I lacked a whole lot of initiative this week. I can tell I am getting tired (mentally) and need to find time to rest this week.

Monday - Meat Loaf, mashed potatoes and gravy
Tuesday - Sausages and perogies
Wednesday - Crazy day...needs to be crockpot. Methinks Beef Dip
Thursday - Chicken Fingers and Rice that never made the oven last week as there were leftovers everywhere
Friday - Baked Chicken and Fusili

Menu Monday

Wow lookie me doing a menu for the third week in a row. That has GOT to be  a record. It's a busy week for us. There is something happening after school or evening every day of the week for us. Between hockey and scouts, hunter safety and staff meetings, it's crazy. I am hoping the menu works for our disjointed times at  home.

Sunday - Roast chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn

Monday - Home made chicken noodle soup from the roast chicken last night is simmering on the stove as we speak.

Tuesday - DS1 is gone out of town for hockey. DH may drive to watch him. That leaves DS2 and I at home. We will either have leftovers, or scrambled eggs, since DS2 actually eats eggs.

Wednesday - Chili. Needed a crockpot something so they can forage for food.. DS1 has hockey practice til 6. DS2 has curling til 5:30 and Hunter safety from 7 to 9. Mom has a staff meeting til 5 then another meeting from 5 to 9.

Thursday - Mom is making something for us. I am in the city for my appointment and DS1 has a hockey game and needs to eat by 5. Thanks Mom!!

Friday - Chicken tenders and rice.

Having a menu has definitely helped the stress level. It also has drastically cut down on the 'run to the store we need....' moments.

Monday Menu Plan

It worked well for me last week and helped me feel more organized and less stressed. Looking at your menus, mine feels very very peasant class and plain, but then, I am very plain :-)

Monday - chicken quesadillas
Tueday - sloppy joes and garden salad
Wednesday - Soup and grill cheese for a night with a very short supper window
Thursday - Moose Sausage and roasted vegggies (that we ended up not having last week)
Friday - Herbed Pork Chops with pasta

Menu planning Monday

Being at home last week gave me time to see what I had in the house (pantry, freezer, fridge). It also made me realize how good it felt (again) to know what was on plans for the supper table. Granted I was AT home to make that supper happen, but that doesn't mean working outside of home negates good meals.

So I curled up tonight and looked at the calendar for the boys' schedules and mine, took a gander through the freezer and made a few decisions. 

Monday - Homemade bbq (on the foreman grill) burgers and fries

Tuesday - My mom is making salisbury moose steak in the crockpot for us to pick up. It's a busy night for us and this will help greatly. Thanks mama.

Wednesday - Porkchops, roasted potatoes and veggies.

Thursday - Spaghtetti and meatballs

Friday - Sausage and perogies

Payday is Wed so tonight I picked up some fries and buns, some fruit, some yogurt and milk. hopefully that will get us through til I refill the jars Wed sometime.

Menu

This may well be a record for me. Four weeks in a row making menus. Actually there is no question, it IS a record. LOL

It's helping me feel more organized. It's helping me use my food budget more efficiently. We are eating better and NOT going out for fast food or take out.  The kids enjoy knowing what's coming and I get less of 'what is for supper????

Since I am doing WW, I add a green salad to all my supper meals and I eat smaller portions of what I make for the boys.

Sunday - roast chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, niblet corn
Monday - Beef Stew, biscuits and salad
Tuesday - chicken quesadillas
Wednesday - leftovers
Thursday - Pork Chops and Rice
Friday - Tacos

menu planning

Sunday - Supper at Mom's
Monday - Leftovers. We have heaps
Tuesday - Meatloaf and Pasta
Wednesday - Deer Sausage and Perogies
Thursday - Chicken Fingers and Rice
Friday - not sure yet honestly.

sunday menu plans

I did up a menu plan last week for the first time in a very long time and I have to say, it brought me much peace of mind and forced me to be very organized.  Or perhaps the forced organization prompted the peace of mind?? lol

I have two awkward nights this week so I made sure to put meals that were quick and easy for us but gave DS1 the nutrition he needed before a big game.

I have a few things to pick up today with the balance of this week's jar $. New week starts as of tomorrow and I'll pick up the rest of what I need Tuesday so it's fresher.

Sunday - baked ham, scalloped potatoes
Monday - pork cutlets and pasta
Tuesday - chicken burgers and fries
Wednesday - Hamburger Soup (which I made over the break and froze)
Thursday - Lasagna and Caesar Salad
Friday - Chicken Stir Fry

Day before school this'n'that

Well today definitely is here. Vacation is over and today was the day of reckoning. House to clean. Laundry to do. Groceries to shop for. Work to do at the school.

It was a big day of checklists. morning will go so much easier for the boys and I if we are ready to go. So that means that all the clothes are clean and ready to go. It means the fridge needed to be cleaned out and new groceries shopped for. It means I needed to run to the school, get my room ready and plan for my students for tomorrow. I try to plan to stagger it up for them as it's hard coming back that first day.

A spirit of optimism seems to permeate wherever I go, for 2011. I am excited to see what the year brings and, more importantly, what do I DO with what the year brings me.

I have restless energy tonight..puttering here and there to make sure there are no 'where is my....' surprises in the morning.

Vehicle is filled up and ready to go. Jars are filled.

It's game on!

So for the week, comes a menu which I planned earlier but never posted.

Sunday - Ribs and baked potatoes
Monday - Pork Chops, Fusili and Corn
Tuesday - Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy
Wednesday - Homemade Pizza, Salad
Thursday - Chilli and homemade bread
Friday - leftovers

So there we go.

Have a good week back to school everyone.

Menus

Ok they are late but they were done for Sunday so I am still counting them :P

Sunday - BBQ Steak, new potatoes, mushrooms
Monday - Chili
Tuesday- Chicken Burgers, Salad
Wednesday - Taco Salad
Thursday - Leftovers
Friday - unsure. we are running from 4 PM til 9 PM so it may be on the fly.

Dilemma for menu planning

I truly enjoyed having my menu planned out for us last week. It simplified the shopping, it simplified the preparation and it eliminated the stress.

DS2 particularly enjoys having that menu card posted on the fridge for the week and knowing what is to come. DS1 just wants food and lots of it LOL

This week poses a bit of a scheduling problem as DS1 begins working out with his trainer this week. It's a must if he wants to have a chance of moving up a level in his hockey. The problem is that his sessions begin at 5 PM and two nights a week he goes straight from there to hockey. There has to be something ready that is premade or sitting in our friend, the crockpot. Time is of the essence for us in that regard.

I'd better go curl up and figure out what I can feed the children that is time efficient, edible and not fast food.

Weekly Menu

In an effort to get the grocery money under control, again, back come the menus.

Sunday - Roast chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, stuffing and peas 
             Pot Roast and fixings at my mom's
Monday - Homemade pizza (hawaiian and cheese methinks)
Tuesday - Creamy chicken and noddle casserole, salad, garlic bread
Wednesday - Grilled Pork Chops, rice, corn
Thursday - leftovers
Friday - Spaghetti and Meatballs

Note to self: Must buy chicken for Tuesday as roast chicken sunday did not happen to provide leftovers.

Menu Monday

Sunday - Roast Beef, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy and corn

Monday - Chicken Stir Fry and Noodles

Tuesday - Lasagna, Caesar Salad, Garlic Bread

Wednesday - Leftovers

Thursday - Smokies and Perogies

Friday - Burgers and Macaroni

menu monday

I hesitate to look but I suspect it was late November or early December that I last posted a menu for the week. It helps one feel organized. It helps minimize food purchases. It really is a good idea.  It is one of those things that makes you go "so you're not doing it because.....?"

There have been lots of reasons. Being sick. Being whirlwind busy. There were two weeks there before Christmas that at least two of us weren't home during normal supper hours due to activities. And then it was Christmas and I just...............relaxed.

Time to give sanity and organization another shot. This was mostly a  shop from my freezer kind of week, with the exception of the roast I purchased yesterday.  All too often I neglect my freezer. So here it is in all it's teeny glory.

Monday - Crockpot French "Beef" dip with cole slaw on the side.
Tuesday - Spaghetti and Meatballs
Wednesday - truly a left over day. I will have Mon and Tues plus a few things from Sunday.
Thursday - Chicken Stir Fry (need to buy the  veggies still)
Friday - Beef Stew

I don't plan for weekends. They are very unpredictable, particularly with hockey going into playoffs soon and we have no clue where and when we play til a couple days ahead.

Happy Monday everyone!

Menu for the week

Well here I am, Miss never use a menu plan, on her third week of planning food items out. What I've noticed is less stress on the 'what to have' front, along with fewer trips to the store. I haven't yet reduced the $ I am spending, but perhaps that will come.

So here it is, a bit retroactively, starting this past weekend.

Saturday - BBQ ribs and corn

Sunday - Canadian turkey day with all the trimmings

Monday - Homemade hamburger soup and rolls

Tuesday - Beef Tacos and fixings

Wednesday - Leftover soup

Thursday - Baked ham and scalloped potatoes

Friday - Chicken quesadillas

weekly menu

Ok I have to admit that last week was the first time I'd actually done up a menu and pretty much stuck to it. It was an odd sensation to not have to wonder at the end of each work day what I would make....or to not do a handful of trips to the store to get the things I needed each day.

Now I certainly didn't save any money as I spent my grocery money totally, but it was far less stressful having the menu ready to go. That has to count for something.

Monday - chicken fingers and fries (that we didn't have Fri as two were gone for activites

Tuesday - homemade pizza

Wednesday - beef stew

Thursday - Pork chops, rice and veggies

Friday - Stir Fry (if time permits)

This weekend in our Thanksgiving so I won't menu plan for that. We are going to be over at my parents' helping them redo their roof. I believe mom has a variety of things on the menu for the kids/grandkids whilst we help. Not sure if I have to bring anything.